Conservation Ecolog​​​y ​​& Entomology​ 

​​Nature-Based Solutions For Water Management In The Peri- Urban: Linking Ecological, Social And Economic Dimensions 

This research project (2019- March 2023) is part of a greater Water Joint Programming Initiative (JPI) research project (funded under the Water JPI 2018 Transnational Call).  The aim is to contribute to closing the water cycle gap by exploring the potentials that nature-based solutions offer to address water management challenges in landscape areas that have been neglected because they lie in the transition zones between the urban and the rural, hereby referred to as peri-urban areas. The main objective is to exchange learning experiences among the partnership and promote the debate between science and society in order to increase awareness among practitioners and users on the application of nature- based solutions to manage water scarcity, pollution, and risks related to extreme hydrological events.

The JPI project includes case study sites in South Africa, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Poland, India and Brazil at peri-urban areas where the project partners have established contacts and are focusing their case studies.

Project Partners include:

1. Södertörn University, Stockholm, Sweden
2. Stellenbosch University, South Africa (Department conservation Ecology & Entomology)
   
3. Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI), Oslo, Norway
   
4. Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya Barcelona-Tech (UPC), Barcelona, Spain
   
5. Anugrah Narayan College (A.N. College), Patliputra University, Patna, India
   
6. Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm, Sweden
   
7. International Institute for Sustainability (IIS-Rio), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
   

The South African team as part of this WRC project, is led by Prof Karen Esler and Dr Alanna Rebelo (post-doc).  

For more information about the NATWIP project, please see http://natwip.solutions/ or contact us at kje@sun.ac.za

​​​​NEMEDUSSA Consortium Advancing Nematology Education In Sub-Sahara Africa​​

To develop the research and educational capacity in Sub-Sahara Africa in the field of nematology, or the study of roundworms, a joint Erasmus+ KA2 project was recently launched. The Erasmus+ project, Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE): Nematology Education in Sub-Sahara Africa (NEMEDUSSA), is a joint effort by a consortium of Universities from Sub-Sahara Africa and Europe.​ 

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The FF-IPM project is a 21-partner consortium from southern Africa, Europe, USA, Israel, Australia and China. It aims to provide new pest management approaches for three major fruit fly (Tephritidae) pests that pose a threat to European horticulture, based on spatial modelling, decision support systems, and new knowledge pertaining to biological traits, fruit trading and socioeconomics. The project is funded by Horizon 2020 (European Union Funding for Research and Innovation).

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F³: “FRUIT FLY FREE”

The main objective of the project is to establish and develop a framework for maintenance of areas free and under low prevalence of fruit fly (Tephritidae) pests in South Africa and Mozambique. This project is funded by the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF), who support developing countries in building capacity to implement sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards, guidelines and recommendations. Partners include Stellenbosch University, the Department of Agriculture and Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD), the Agricultural Research Council-Tropical and Subtropical Crops (ARC-TSC), Citrus Research International, Eduardo Mondlane University and the Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA).

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